1971, an amazing year for music.

[Nina]

It's today the 10th of february, which means it's exactly 50 years since Tapestry by Carole King was released. A fantastic album which would be the best album of the year in most years. But 1971 is special. LA Woman, Imagine, Blue, Pearl, What's Going On, Hunky Dory, Madmen Across the Water, Sticky Fingers and we can go on and on. Wikipedia gives you a nice overview.

So let's use this year to celebrate 1971 and share our favourites.



I'll start with the obvious choice for today:

[Double Dutchess]

Certainly a good year LA Woman is one of my favourite albums. But the other ones you mention are great too, of course!

[Sandman]

Led Zeppelin IV

[Double Dutchess]

Some great songs from 1971:

[American Aurora]

This will be far out of left field, but...

It wasn’t only pop music that was fantastic in 1971. In the theater, Stephen Sondheim’s Follies premiered in April directed by Harold Prince (Cabaret, Evita, Phantom of the Opera), choreographed by Michael Bennet (A Chorus Line, Dream Girls) and written by James Goldman (The Lion in Winter, Robin and Marian) - now considered one of the greatest musicals of all time and a show that had an incalculable influence on Once More With Feeling. Extraordinarily cynical with a score that paid tribute to the entire range of American Popular Song, it was both nostalgic and deeply critical of the American Dream as viewed through popular music and had a massive influence on theater afterwards.

[Nina]

This will be far out of left field, but...

It wasn’t only pop music that was fantastic in 1971. In the theater, Stephen Sondheim’s Follies premiered in April directed by Harold Prince (Cabaret, Evita, Phantom of the Opera), choreographed by Michael Bennet (A Chorus Line, Dream Girls) and written by James Goldman (The Lion in Winter, Robin and Marian) - now considered one of the greatest musicals of all time and a show that had an incalculable influence on Once More With Feeling. Extraordinarily cynical with a score that paid tribute to the entire range of American Popular Song, it was both nostalgic and deeply critical of the American Dream as viewed through popular music and had a massive influence on theater afterwards.

While I love musicals, I never heard of Follies before. But it sounds great, I'll certainly look up the soundtrack. Thanks!


And a few more songs/albums I didn't mention in the OP:


Don McLean released the album American Pie with of course American Pie and:

Hunky Dory wasn't Bowie's only album that year:

And 1971 was also the year Bill Withers sang:

[Sandman]

I don't know if you're familiar with rateyourmusic, but if you want to get a list of best rated albums (on a popular vote basis) regardless musical genre, you can find a list here: https://rateyourmusic.com/charts/top/album/1971/

I love 1971. Also, on top of the bands you mention, Black Sabbath's Master of Reality and "Fragile" by Yes Love rock.

[Nina]

Oh, that website is dangerous. Before you know it you spend hours scrolling through the many lists and reviews.

[Sandman]

Yeah, I know, I'm addicted to RYM . Every morning I play random well-rated albums and discover interesting albums. It makes me getting out of my confort zone with music, which basically is rock, hard rock and metal.